Through the contributions of Lake Country Power's participating members, the Operation Round Up® Electric Trust Board recently approved $55,210 in assistance to local community programs during its quarterly meeting. 

The cooperative’s Trust Board reviewed and considered 42 grant applications and distributed funds to 39 projects and programs this past quarter.

All funds generated through Operation Round Up® are set aside in a trust fund. A voluntary Trust Board of nine co-op members administers the trust. Of the funds collected through the program, 100% is distributed to charitable organizations through an application and selection process. The Trust Board uses special guidelines and policies when choosing recipients.

Most Recent Recipients

• St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad, Duluth
• Food boxes at Hope Lutheran Church, Walker
• Star of the North Figure Skating Club, Grand Rapids
• Faith Lutheran Church Quilters, Sturgeon Lake  
• Boys and Girls Club of Grand Rapids/Greenway
• Leech Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Festival of Lights, Walker
• Moose Lake Township, Moose Lake
• Lutheran Social Service of MN, Walker
• Cloquet Educational Foundation, Cloquet
• Northland Area Family Service Center, Remer
• True Friends, Annandale
• Northern Lakes Arts Association, Ely
• Well Being Development/Northern Lights Clubhouse, Ely
• Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, Grand Rapids
• Foster Love Closet, Grand Rapids
• Floodwood Services & Training, Floodwood
• Side Lake Events Committee, Side Lake 
• Aitkin County Habitat for Humanity, Aitkin   
• Northeast Range Band – NER Music Boosters, Babbitt
• Cohasset Elementary School, Cohasset
• Ely Winter Festival, Ely
• Judy Garland Childrens Museum, Grand Rapids
• Tower Soudan Community Education, Virginia
• Lighthouse Christian Academy, Grand Rapids
• ElderCircle Stay Active & Independent for Life, Grand Rapids
• Cohasset Elementary Sewing Club, Cohasset
• Project READ, Grand Rapids
• Northland Remer Lions depot playground, Remer
• Minnesota Juvenile Officers Association, Rosemont
• Outreach Team of Faith United Lutheran Church, Iron
• Feed-2-Win Northland Community School food program, Remer
• Itasca County Family YMCA, Grand Rapids
• Project Care Free Clinic, Hibbing
• Ely’s Historic State Theater, Ely
• Old School Lives, Cotton
• Ely ArtWalk, Ely
• Tourist Center Senior Citizens, Hibbing
• United Way of Carlton County, Cloquet
• ANGELS, McGregor

Operation Round Up® is a charitable program unique to electric co-ops, which is designed to provide financial assistance to worthwhile activities and community projects by “rounding up” members’ electric bills to the nearest dollar. The average donation of each participating Lake Country Power member is less than $6 annually.

Among Lake Country Power’s 43,000 members, 67% of all active electric accounts participate in the program through voluntary contributions. Interested members can opt into the Operation Round Up® program by calling the cooperative at 800-421-9959.

Applications are available online at www.lakecountrypower.coop (My Cooperative > Community > Operation Round Up®). The next application deadline is February 15.